Archive

A simple exchange of words with a friend on Twitter. He was asking about vehicles and I told him about mine.

I thought nothing of it. This was no different than what I do every day on Twitter. I chat, offer tech advice, and ask questions. You know, using the social part of social media.

A few weeks after this tweet, I received an email from a marketing company asking if I would be willing to talk about my Ford. My husband thought it was scam; but in my mind, I’m thinking “Why not? I am up for some excitement.” I chatted with someone from the Ford marketing company and told them why I bought a Ford, what I liked, all the typical questions. Then they asked if they could send out someone to take a few pictures of me and my Escape. Again, I was thinking, “Sure, why not?” Meanwhile, the hubby is still thinking this is a scam. That weekend, Sean from the Ford marketing company came out to take a few pictures. We made small-talk as he snapped a few shots. A few weeks later, my Ford story is up with some pictures. Not only did I brag to my family, but I had an interesting story to tell my friends on Facebook. End of story right? Of course not…because where’s the fun in that!

A few weeks later, the marketing company called again. They wanted to shoot some footage of me and my Ford later that week. Hubby is thinking this may be legit now. Sean comes back and brings Sara, another marketing rep from Ford. They mic me up and off we go. It was a long afternoon, between the crows who wouldn’t stop crowing, and why on earth did a fighter jet have to pick that exact hour to fly overhead? And of course, the neighbors were installing hardwood floors that afternoon. It did seem like forever at times, but Sean and Sara’s professionalism and patience kept me focused and on-task. In the end, 2 hours of shooting became 30 seconds of video.

So what was my return on investment (ROI)? Did it increase my business? No. Did I make any money? No.

You may be thinking “What can I get out of 15 words, 61 characters and 10 seconds of my time?” A great story of what makes Twitter such an awesome tool. It doesn’t matter where or who you are, you just never know who may see your tweet and want to engage with you. It can lead you to new business opportunities, friendships, or even partnerships. What is there to lose?

Why not go and chat with someone right now? If you are not sure who to chat with, feel free to tweet me @bennettbusiness. Or if you have an awesome social media story to share, please post it below.

Share this:

Like this:

Blog Search

Search for:

GYFB

A little bit about Sharon Bennett

I have been in the IT industry for 23 years now. I remember the early days of DOS and the launch of Windows 3.1. The Internet was not available to the general public at that time. We used Archie and Veronica to "surf" (if you can call text-based internet surfing).
After all these years and changes one thing has always stood out: most people knew technology could help them but didn't know how to implement it.
My passion is teaching others on the technologies that can not only help their companies but their careers.